


Roommates

by thesoundofnat



Category: X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-03
Updated: 2015-08-03
Packaged: 2018-04-12 19:23:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4491741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesoundofnat/pseuds/thesoundofnat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Charles is in need of a roommate to be able to afford rent, so he puts up an advert. A man named Erik ends up calling.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Roommates

**Author's Note:**

> Prompted on tumblr, where it's also posted (thesoundofnat.tumblr.com)

Charles wasn’t one for taking drastic measures, but he was getting desperate.

In all his life no other word had scared him as much as the warning written on the paper: eviction. Eviction. Rent was due ages ago and he wasn’t even close to having that money and he was risking getting thrown out into the street and he was just very very desperate.

So he did what any normal human being would do: he put up an advert requesting for a roommate. His flat was small, but oh so expensive, but with two people living in it they would at least be able to survive. He just hoped it would work because, as aforementioned, desperation was devouring him.

He didn’t think that him being in a wheelchair would matter at all, but several people refused to even look around the very moment he opened the door and they caught sight of him. It’s not like his wheelchair would make their lives difficult or anything. He was in his late 20s. He’d been living alone for years for Heaven’s sake. He knew how to operate without anyone’s help.

A week after he’d put up the advert, he got a call for the first time in three days. He’d been feeling forlorn, so he eagerly agreed to let the man on the phone come over and take a look. He had nothing else to lose anyway.

When the doorbell rang he went to open it with his head held high. It wasn’t his fault that people were being wheelchairphobic. If push came to shove he’d at least always have his pride.

When he came face to face with his guest he had been expecting him to start, his eyes to widen in realization, and for him to back away while stuttering excuses. But he didn’t. He just smiled politely and held out his hand.

“You must be Charles,” he said, his voice sounding just a tad bit differently than it had on the phone.

“And you must be Erik,” Charles replied, holding back his surprise. They shook hands. “Please do come in.”

After Erik had spent a little while looking around the apartment, a sudden nervousness washed over Charles. No one had ever come so far as to actually enter the place. What if Erik hated it and Charles was back to square one?

“It’s no mansion,” he found himself saying after Erik had glanced into the bathroom again. “But I bet two people could live...somewhat comfortably here.”

“I like it,” he said, surprising Charles once again. “I don’t need much space. Just a place to live in, you know?”

Charles nodded. “I understand. Even the smallest cupboard can make a good home.”

Erik smiled at him. He had a pretty interesting smile. Charles liked it.

“So when do I move in?”

…

Four months later and Charles hadn’t worried about getting evicted ever since Erik moved in. It was refreshing to be able to worry about other things instead, like making sure all of his students had a chance to pass his class, grading papers on time, and how to continuously ignore his growing attraction to his roommate.

Erik, just like Charles, had his problems and flaws, but at the end of the day it was all worth it just to see that smile. Not only did they get along; they were close to becoming some sort of best friends. Charles was grateful to not have a roommate he barely talked to, but everyday was a battle against his urge to kiss those lips. It was getting frustrating.

And when Erik brought home a girl one day, Charles didn’t know how to react.

Staring at the girl as she entered the apartment he couldn’t help but to mentally slap himself. Of course Erik was straight. Of course.

He was so busy chastising himself that he didn’t notice Erik’s expression when he caught him staring at her.

“Charles,” he said, his voice oddly strained. “Meet my cousin.”

Charles almost choked on his own spit. “Your- oh, right. You told me she would come and visit. Of course.” And thus he realized that he had it bad.

The cousin smirked as they shook hands. “You were right, Erik,” she said, sending him a look. “He is handsome.”

Erik’s spluttering wouldn’t make sense even if Charles could read minds.

....

Later that day, just as the night was rolling in and the sun was vanishing, Charles decided to take a risk.

“So I’m handsome, huh?”

Erik, who had been walking toward the kitchen, froze. “I...sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”

Charles waved a hand at him. “Not uncomfortable at all. Just curious.”

“You are handsome,” Erik said, not sounding as flustered as before. “I can’t deny that.”

Charles hummed. “Well, so are you.”

Erik didn’t reply at first, but continued his walk toward the kitchen. Just before entering the room he turned back to Charles and said, “We’re a handsome pair, then,” and was gone.

Charles couldn’t help but notice the sudden tension after that day. It wasn’t really a bad sort of tension, but it was a loaded one, and he wasn’t really sure what it was loaded with. It scared him a bit. He’d gotten so used to being completely at ease around Erik, and now it felt as if there were a hundred unsaid things hovering around them.

“So, uh,” Erik started one evening a few weeks later. “I feel the need to inform you that my cousin is in a relationship as of last week.”

Charles blinked at him. “Oh? Congratulations, I guess.”

Erik turned to him with a frown. “You’re not...upset.”

“Why should I be upset?”

“You don’t like her?”

“Of course I do.”

“I mean-”

“Romantically?”

“Uh huh.”

“I barely know her.”

“Oh.” Erik’s face turned a light shade of red.

Charles cocked his head at him. “Why did you think I was interested?”

“You seemed interested the first time you guys met.” Erik wrung his hands together . “You looked at her in this...certain way. I don’t know.”

“That’s because I thought she was with you.”

“What?”

“I thought she was your date.”

“So why did you look at her like- wait.” The look on Erik’s face made Charles nervous. “You weren’t jealous, were you?” Charles opened and closed his mouth so many times that Erik broke into a smile. “You were.”

“I was being silly,” Charles said, closing his eyes for a few seconds. “You don’t belong to me, after all.”

“I could,” Erik replied, his gaze intense. “If you’d take me.”

If Charles could he would lunge himself on the other man. Instead he wheeled himself closer to the couch, waited for Erik to lean in, and kissed him. Oh, what a first kiss.

“You’re cute when you’re jealous,” Erik said when they pulled away.

Charles hit his arm lightly. “Shut up. You thought I was into your cousin. You were jealous, too.”

Erik let out a laugh. “Guilty as charged.”

“Well, you don’t have to worry,” Charles said. “I’m yours now.”

“And I’m yours.”

Maybe eviction wasn’t such a scary word, after all.


End file.
